MAILSI / VEHARI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Monday taunted the PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif for “stealing PTI’s ideas”, saying how Nawaz Sharif could make a new Pakistan when his own party’s government in Punjab had deprived the people of their basic rights in the past five years.

Talking to media here after offering fateha for the departed soul of former MPA Sardar Khan Khichi here at his residence, Imran Khan said that “Showbaz Sharif” had deprived the people of South Punjab of their rights by diverting development funds of the area to building roads in Lahore and Raiwind and the money was being spent on PML-N’s election campaign.

Khan also lashed out at the PPP leadership, stating that the slogan of Seraiki Province was just a “political gimmick” as the PPP government did nothing for development of the South Punjab and neither did they move an inch for formation of the new province.

“Those who did nothing for the delivery of basic rights to the people of South Punjab are raising hollow slogans of creating a Seraiki province. This is a mere political gimmick to confuse the people,” said Imran Khan who was flanked by the party’s senior leaders Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jahangir Khan Tareen and others. He said that he had launched his mass contact drive from South Punjab to listen to the voice of the people of the area and his party would never ignore their desire. “We will give a healing touch to your miseries,” he added.

Imran Khan said that the Punjab government was spending development funds of South Punjab on its election campaign which was a major discrimination. He said that Nawaz Sharif was replicating all the ideas of the PTI and now he was talking to create a new Pakistan which was a slogan of his party.

“What such politicians can deliver who could do nothing for the people of Punjab in five long years. Despite the fact that his party ruled Punjab for five terms, Punjab is facing deprivation, misery and deterioration”.

Responding to a question, Imran Khan said that by-polls were never a criterion to measure popularity of any political party. “Look, the PML-N has won by-polls by misusing government resources. I call Shahbaz Sharif as Showbaz Sharif for the same purpose. You must remember, despite the successful long march by lawyers’ community, Musharraf had never lost a by-poll. By-polls don’t reflect popularity of any party. We will turn tables on our adversaries when they would contest general elections,” he asserted.

He said he had decided to launch his mass contact drive from South Punjab as the people of the area had been deprived of their basic rights and their due budget had been misused and diverted to other areas of Punjab. He said that the people of Pakistan would have to make right decision this time in elections as PTI was going to create a new Pakistan for the coming generations.